After all this time? Always
by The Symbol of Faith
Summary: They called their friendship eternal, unbreakable. A bond that will transcend Death. But this time, they never got a chance to form that bond; to be friends, comrades, brothers. However, some things are just meant to be, and shall come to happen, no matter what… Supernatural!(AU), Ghost characters, Romance, Friendship.
1. Chapter 1 - Characters

**AN: Hi! It's been a long time, I know. So here's a one-shot to keep you entertained while I get busy updating my other stories.**

 **In the usual format, here is the character list. If you are interested, please continue reading, else, you are free to leave.**

* * *

Characters

* * *

CID Team :-

ACP Pradyuman

Senior Inspector Abhijeet

Senior Inspector Daya

Inspector Fredericks

Sub - Inspector Sudhakar

Sub - Inspector Asha

Sub - Inspector Aditi

Sub - Inspector Daksh

Inspector Priyanka

Inspector Anushka

ACP Prithviraj

Sub - Inspector Vivek

Sub - Inspector Tasha

Sub - Inspector Kajal

Inspector Sachin

Inspector Purvi

Inspector Shreya

* * *

Forensic Team :-

Dr Salunkhe

Dr Tarika

Dr Anjalika

Dr Niyati

Dr Vrinda

Dr Sonali

* * *

Other Main Characters :-

Shreya (Mute girl, adopted daughter of Abhijeet in the series)

Srija (Own created character, acts as a childhood friend of Daya)

Herpes Dongara (H.D. , appears as villian for a few scenes)

* * *

 **AN: It is important to note that most characters are only mentioned and will not have much of a role, if any at all.**

 **This fic is primarily based on Daya and Abhijeet's friendship. The other characters are only there to support the story and give it a plot - that's it.**


	2. Chapter 2 - After all this time? Always

**AN: This one shot was written because of a sudden question in my mind - what if Abhijeet and Daya never spent all that time together in CID, never met? What if they were two ordinary people, would the lack of life dangering experiences make their friendship weaker?**

 **But then, I couldn't imagine them not being in CID, so I decided to venture into fantasy - life after death. This story is based on their friendship - how it always will be the same no matter what.**

"Dialogues"

' _Thoughts'_

 _"Sign language"_

* * *

CID - After all this time? Always

* * *

 _Some people were born with a unique ability – the ability to see death. Or perhaps, in finer words, the departed souls of those that death has claimed. Not everyone chooses to stay back as a spirit; a ghost. But those that do can be clearly seen by them._

 _Such people were rare, one in a million, but they did exist. To what purpose this ability served, is still a mystery. The ones with this ability rarely, if ever, told anyone of this. After all, it all sounds like the ramblings of a madman, does it not? Keeping such a secret was a great burden they had to bear._

 _One such person was Senior Inspector Daya._

* * *

Abhijeet had never thought his life to be very precious after his memory loss. His return to CID had fuelled his desire to capture his attackers and he threw himself into cases without any regard for his health or life.

Despite ACP Pradyuman's and Daya's continuous protests that he was being too reckless, it did not stop him from being careless about his life at duty. After all, what was left of his life? He remembered no one, his purpose in life gone, all he could do was serve his country by capturing criminals.

It was only when the blood, _his blood_ , the life giving fluid that flowed in his body, spilled down his chest, staining his white shirt in a deep red that it struck him – he didn't want to die. He had a lot to live for – Daya, a junior colleague that was very quickly becoming a close friend; ACP sir, who had supported him all this way and expected great things of him; Fredericks and Sudhakar, two juniors who looked up to him and aspired to be a great CID officer like him; Asha, the Sub-Inspector who'd become a great friend while hinting that they could be more…

He was a fool. He did not recognise all that life was offering him as a second chance and instead chased the past that was already out of his hands. He regretted being so careless now, being reckless in all his missions, uncaring about the fact that he could actually _die_ and leave everyone behind – leave all the new friends he had made, the new future that he could pave.

As he fell to the ground, he could feel the pain in his chest flare up as a hand instinctively clutched the wound to stop the blood from leaving his body. From what seemed to be a great distance, he could hear ACP sir and Daya calling out his name, Freddy handcuffing the criminal who shot him and Sudhakar calling for an ambulance. Asha had quickly knelt down by him and pressed a handkerchief to the wound, but it was of no use. The blood kept pooling around him and his vision became fuzzy.

Succumbing to the welcoming unconsciousness and knowing that he might not wake up to life again, his last thoughts were, ' _I'm sorry'._

* * *

Daya saw him fall – shock painted Abhijeet's features and there was panic in his eyes. Panic and disbelief – as if he thought that this could not be possible. He cursed him, cursed Abhijeet for not being careful despite all his warnings.

The time passed by as if in a rush and he found the details were so blurry that all he could remember was his senior, Abhijeet, being carried into the OT with no guarantees that he would leave it alive.

A few hours later, he was proclaimed dead.

* * *

Daya had realised his ability to see the dead when he was very young. Living in the orphanage, surrounded by children, he did not understand why that one boy in their playground never returned back with them for dinner. The pale boy would always be present in the playground of the orphanage, playing by himself in the sandbox. No one ever joined him, no one paid him any attention – it was as if he didn't exist.

The first time Daya spoke to him, the boy looked at him in shock before laughing and replying. Since that day, they would spend time together, talking, playing and having fun. The boy – Srija – had told him to never talk with him in front of others, only in privacy. At ten years of age, he finally got to know why.

"I'm dead," Srija had said.

Daya had been sceptical at first, thinking he was being made fun of. After all, he could see him, talk to him, _feel_ him – how could he be dead?

"Because you are special," replied Srija, "Look!"

And then Srija showed him by passing a hand _through_ a tree. Daya was scared, this was unnatural. He did not return to the playground for a month. But when he finally did, Srija was still there, waiting for him.

"People like you are special," Srija explained, "different, and you are not alone. There are many of you in this world. Among us ghosts, you are known as a 'Seer'. Some dead never depart this plane immediately, something keeps us behind – either by our own unfulfilled wish or because They need us here."

"They?" Daya had asked.

"You might know Them as God, differently known in different religions, but we call Them as They. They are neither male nor female and the ghosts believe that They are our creators. They decide our purpose in life, whether we are to remain on the mortal plain or move forward. I did not really know why I stayed behind until I saw you, Daya."

"Me? I don't get it."

"I was supposed to teach you. About your ability to see ghosts. I died fifty years ago, and every day I spent on the playground I was never noticed. Then you saw me, talked to me, and I knew that this was the reason I stayed back as a ghost. I had to guide you in this life of yours. Why you can see us, we do not know, but all Seers can interact with ghosts. We believe that you are a medium."

"Medium? You mean, to interact with…Them?"

Srija had laughed, "Oh no! They rarely, if ever, interact with us, let alone humans. I think you are mediums for ghosts to interact with humans. After all, why can I feel you to be solid while I pass through everything else? Also, if you ever allow it, I can possess you too."

"Really?! Can you make me fly then? Like they show in movies?" Daya asked excitedly.

"Oh no, ghosts cannot fly. We can move very fast, like teleportation, but no flying or any other super powers. After all, we were once human too. Besides I don't think you will ever allow me to possess you."

The child tilted his head curiously, "Why? I mean, I do allow you to possess me, go on! I want to know how it feels!"

Srija shook his head, "Not this way. You may say it, but you must feel it too. Possession is a sacred thing. You are going to have to allow me to control your body, every part of it. This happens only when both ghost and Seer have a strong relationship. I unfortunately, was only ever meant to be your guide, nothing else."

"Oh…" Daya sighed, "But, we're friends right? We must have a pretty strong relationship. Why can't you possess me?"

"You are quite curious about this topic!" Srija laughed, "Trust me, I don't know thing about how to possess someone. I have never done it. When you find the right ghost, one that you will be able to trust your well-being with, your whole life with, you will know it. Besides, you can do a lot more than getting possessed. And my job is to teach you all about it…"

* * *

Years had passed and Daya had never met another ghost apart from Srija. Srija had moved on, leaving the mortal plane after he had taught Daya everything he should know about his life as a Seer. And the most important thing was: Never let anyone know.

At first, he had missed Srija and had grown quite lonely, but as time passed he grew used to it. And with no ghosts around, he could pretend he was normal like the others. At times, he would see a ghost, quite on accident as he walked down the road – a pale being that people would unknowingly walk through. He would then be reminded of his Seer abilities and the burden of not being able to share the secret would feel tremendous all of a sudden.

Hiding it when he was young, from his friends in the orphanage, had been very easy. He had Srija for company then, now he had no ghost to talk to. He thought for a couple of times to make a ghostly companion but always decided against it.

He never wished to interact with another ghost, not truly. They were dead and while he knew that a ghostly companion was quite important for a Seer for various reasons, he never made one. He had expected to see many ghosts after becoming a CID officer, but surprisingly he saw none. It was as if all victims had chosen to move on, or perhaps They had decided that the victims need not stay back.

Yes, it was truly a long time before he made contact with another ghost.

* * *

When Abhijeet opened his eyes, it was too bright. His life was flashing by – his birth, his childhood, his school days, the time he spent with his family – did he regain his memories? When he saw himself being carried into the OT and the numerous attempts of the doctor to revive him, he knew something was wrong. How was it that he could see all this? And then awareness flooded his senses.

He was dead.

Knowledge he'd never known, about the life, death, after-life and Them, filtered through his brain. Was this what Lord Buddha meant by knowing the meaning of life? To know why you have lived, to know how you have lived, to know the way others live; to actually know and realise that you are one among billions of insignificant living things in this vast, endless universe…was staggering.

He did not know how much time had passed, but when he opened his eyes once more, it was as a ghost. He was in the hospital; his colleagues surrounded his dead body that lay on the bed. Asha was crying, streams of tears pouring down her cheeks and now that he was dead, he realised that he too had feelings for her that could have led them to be something more than friends.

ACP Pradyuman sat beside the bed, running his hand through Abhijeet's hair, muttering about what a great person he was, and Abhijeet felt remorse fill him – he was not a great person, but he could have been a better man if he had only listened to him and lived. Not just survived, but actually lived by enjoying life.

Daya had placed his head on the mattress; his hand clutched one of Abhijeet's and his grief was palpable. Sudhakar and Freddy stood at the foot of the bed, silently mourning him.

Abhijeet sighed and walked away, he could no longer see their ungraceful states – see those proud, stoic CID officers lose their composure because of his death.

* * *

The priest paused, unsure of his next action.

"Will a family member of the deceased come forward to light the pyre?"

Abhijeet, standing far behind the masses that had come to attend his funeral – and he was quite surprised to see the number – froze for a second. Family member? He had none. Humans put a lot of stock in religion, only a family member, usually the son of the deceased, could light the pyre. Who would light his? He saw Daya move forward, accepting the torch to light his pyre and a smile stretched across his lips.

* * *

Abhijeet paused in front of the house, internally debating if he should do it. He had not really visited anyone else after his death, choosing to roam the country in solitude. He had met quite a few ghosts, talked with them and asked what they did.

The answers varied – scaring people, inhabiting haunted rooms in funfairs, acting as a silent guardian for their family, star gazing, spending time with their Seer partner for those who had one – it depended.

Being able to move from one place to another in a matter of seconds, regardless of the distance, proved to be quite helpful when you wished to tour the whole country in a month. During this time, he met countless ghosts, but only two Seers.

Seers were notorious for being secretive and did not reveal their ability even to ghosts. The two he met had ghostly companions with them and were relatively easier to find. A few conversations with them gave him an insight as to how they led their lives.

It was now, a month later that he found himself in front of Daya's house.

"What am I even doing here?" Abhijeet asked himself as he walked right through the door and into the living room.

It was seven in the morning and judging by the sounds from the kitchen, Daya was probably having breakfast. He entered the kitchen just as Daya turned, a glass of water in his hand. Abhijeet expected him to pass through him just everyone else did, but he stopped. His eyes grew wide and mouth parted in shock.

Confused, Abhijeet turned his head – was Daya looking at something behind him? The glass dropped, the steel making a loud noise as the water spilled onto the floor. The next second, it was Abhijeet who was in shock as he felt himself being hugged tight enough to find it difficult to breathe if he ever required to. That reminded him – he was dead _and_ he was being hugged.

They parted, smiles on their faces as they realised the situation they found themselves in.

"You are a Seer," Abhijeet stated, having gained all knowledge about them after his death.

"Yes," Daya agreed, "why did you choose to stay, sir?"

Abhijeet shook his head, "Abhijeet."

"Huh?"

"Not sir," explained the ghost, "call me Abhijeet. I'm not your senior now. I'm dead. Call me by my name."

Daya nodded and then his expression changed to one of anger and before Abhijeet could react, his hand swung out, landing a hard slap on his face. Abhijeet had never experienced one of Daya's slaps, but now he knew why the criminals quickly opened their mouth after being subjected to it.

"That," Daya explained, "was for going and getting killed because of your stupidity."

Abhijeet winced, cradling his cheek in his palm. People who thought that one could feel no pain after you died were totally wrong.

"I guess I deserved that," Abhijeet agreed.

"So, Abhijeet," Daya tested out the name on his tongue, "where have you been? Why didn't I see you before?"

Abhijeet sighed and resigned himself to a long discussion that would take place. Daya called in and told Freddy that he would not be attending duty today despite Abhijeet's protests.

* * *

Daya had changed. ACP Pradyuman realised this after Abhijeet's death. He knew they were close and spent almost all their free time together, but when two months after Abhijeet's death, he began to realise that Daya was acting more like Abhijeet and less like …Daya…he began to wonder.

He knew that some people began to integrate parts of their loved ones character into their own after their death, but this was becoming quite obvious to him. Asha had begun to notice too and when even the usually oblivious Freddy and Sudhakar noticed, he decided to confront Daya about it.

The morning was peaceful, no case to handle, no paperwork to complete. Everyone was mostly relaxing. Asha had started to solve the crossword in the newspaper while Freddy and Sudhakar were playing cards in their small kitchenette.

ACP Pradyuman looked up from his files to see that Daya too had spread out files which he was reading through. When Abhijeet had been there, the two of them would have excused themselves and gone off together to relax. Now, however…

"Daya," ACP's voice rang out loud and clear and all the officers turned to look at him, Freddy and Sudhakar peeking from the door of the kitchenette.

"Yes, sir?"

"What are you doing?"

"Just going through some old files, sir,"

All the officers had now pooled into ACP sir's cabin and when Asha raised an eyebrow meaningfully, Pradyuman decided now was the time to ask.

"How have you been, Daya? Are you coping well with Abhijeet's death?" there was a tinge of concern in ACP's voice.

Daya blinked and noticed all the attention he was getting. Why the sudden question?

"Yes, sir."

They waited a while for him to say something more, but when nothing was forthcoming, they returned back to their work. Daya decided to take a break and went downstairs. He began to walk towards the small garden near the Bureau.

When Abhijeet had been alive, he and Daya would often go there to simply walk on slow days like these. When he returned as a ghost, he had begun to accompany Daya to work. While they would handle cases, Abhijeet would help by making his own observations and sharing them with Daya. Daya would not talk with him in front of others but would relay all that he had said.

Daya entered the garden and saw Abhijeet standing under a tree, watching a few children as they played the game Hide-And-Seek.

"No case?" asked Abhijeet.

"None," Daya confirmed before adding, "They were acting odd today."

"Oh?"

"They asked me if I was alright, if I was coping well. It has been two months since your death, why ask now?"

Abhijeet sighed, "So they began to notice…"

"Notice?"

"You and I have different styles of investigation and since I have been relaying most of the information about the case through you –"

"They are beginning to recognise some of them as your work," finished Daya.

"Yes, also, you never open a door with a pocket knife."

Daya grinned, "True – that was what you did. And I always thought it to be quite complicated before you showed me the trick. But I still prefer breaking the door down."

They shared a laugh before turning to look at the children's game, a comfortable silence between them.

* * *

"You're transferring?!" Daya asked, surprised.

"Yes," Asha sighed, "My family is shifting, also…I miss Abhijeet."

Abhijeet who was standing beside Daya reached forward as if to hold her hand and then he remembered that was no longer alive. Daya had seen this and his eyes softened.

Turning to Asha, he said, "The ones we love never truly leave us, they are always present – in here." He pointed to his heart.

Asha gave a small laugh, "Oh, I will miss you Daya! And the both of you will always be with me – in here." She pointed to her own heart.

* * *

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

All six bullets were inside the smallest circle on the target board. The shooter turned to ACP Pradyuman with a small smile on her face which he returned.

"Very good, Aditi!" ACP sir praised, "And welcome to CID. You might possibly the best shooter in the department."

"Best shooter?" Abhijeet muttered softly, eyes narrowed, "I could do that with my eyes closed!"

"Your just jealous," Daya snorted in an equally soft voice.

At that, ACP turned to him, "Do you have something to say Daya?"

"No sir!"

* * *

"I don't like that girl," declared Abhijeet.

"Who?" asked Daya distractedly, as he sorted through a few papers in his cubicle.

The bureau was noisy so he had no qualms about replying aloud. Besides, as time passed, he grown more free in talking to Abhijeet even in others' company.

"Aditi!"

"What did she do now?" Daya frowned, "Hey, have you seen where I put the case report?"

"Here," Abhijeet pushed a paper towards him from among the mess before he continued, "she was snooping around! In your locker!"

That got his attention.

"My locker? When?" asked Daya.

"Just now, she was about to close it when I passed through."

All officers had a locker in the kitchenette – if you could even call it one, it was a kitchen plus rest room plus locker room together – and it depended what you could store in it. While Daya only kept a spare house key, his service revolver at times and an old photo album there, going through it was still a breach of his privacy.

Daya walked straight to Aditi's cubicle with a displeased expression on his face, Abhijeet right next to him. Uncaring that he was about to make a scene, he began to question her.

"Aditi, did you just go through my locker without my permission?"

The officer froze. Daksh, Freddy and the ACP turned towards them, having heard the question.

"Did you?" Daya repeated his question.

"Of course not," she replied after a moment.

By now, their audience was quite attentive and ACP Pradyuman had a frown on his face.

"But I believe you did," Daya said.

"Daya, what is this about?" questioned the ACP.

"She is crossing her boundary sir, by going through my locker," explained Daya.

"That's not possible unless it was unlocked, and it is not fair to blame her," ACP tried to reason.

"And I would agree if I wasn't absolutely sure." Daya retorted.

Aditi was very much like a female version of Abhijeet – smart, good detection skills, able to pick locks easily, also a wonderful shooter. And ACP sir had a soft spot for her due to this, but he had known Daya for longer and chose to believe that he wouldn't accuse her without good reason.

Turning to her, he asked, "Is this true, Aditi?"

Her confidence faltered when faced with two senior officers but she did not confirm their statement.

Instead she asked, "Who is Abhijeet?"

ACP sir narrowed his eyes, "That is neither here nor there –"

"But it is, sir!" Aditi insisted, "I've heard Daya sir talk to Abhijeet, while solving a case, in the bureau, sometimes even in the garden nearby, standing alone under the tree!"

Daya's eyes had widened and he gave a quick glance at Abhijeet who had grit his teeth in annoyance.

"Let me handle this, Daya. You simply repeat everything I say," commanded Abhijeet.

Daya nodded to convey his agreement while ACP turned to look at him in surprise.

"What does she mean, Daya? You talk to Abhijeet?"

Daya, following Abhijeet's advice waited for him to speak before repeating it.

"Yes, sir,"

"Explain!"

"How do you think we have worked sir? It was always a joint investigation done by us – Abhijeet and I. Why should it change after his death?"

Daksh and Aditi gave small gasp at that information.

"He and I still work together," Daya continued, "his unique style of interrogation is quite helpful, wouldn't you agree?"

ACP Pradyuman had noticed Daya interrogate the criminals; sometimes it would be intimidation and cruelly twisted words that scared them into spilling the beans, others, it would be a tight slap to the face followed by threats that they already knew everything and it was better to confess; a method employed by Abhijeet and Daya respectively.

He had to agree, it always felt that Abhijeet had never truly left them. And he couldn't fault Daya from talking to an imaginary Abhijeet when it kept him happy. He was not mentally ill because he would mutter to himself at times – it was okay.

With a sharp reprimand to Aditi for going through Daya's locker, he returned to his work.

Alone, Daya told his friend, "That was quick thinking."

"Yes," Abhijeet smiled, "Give people a bit of information and they will spin their own tale from it. No one will have guessed the whole truth even though you told a part of it."

* * *

Both he and Daya did not believe it when ACP sir was accused of helping his son in terrorism. When ACP Prithviraj moved into office, Daya and Abhijeet were quite ready to follow ACP Pradyuman and resign. However, a sentence, a simple sentence stopped them.

ACP Prithviraj shook hands with Daya, Priyanka and Fredericks before saying, "They used to praise you quite a lot in the Police Academy. Our seniors would often say, if you want to learn something about detection, you must learn it from them – CID officers Daya and Abhijeet."

Priyanka, having recently joined CID, was confused while Freddy simply gave a proud smile to his senior. Daya, on the other hand, was surprised.

"Sir, I'm afraid, you're a little behind times," Daya said, "Abhijeet died years ago."

The ACP smiled, "That may be true, but ACP Pradyuman tells me that his presence is still felt in this department and that you solve no case without Abhijeet's co-operation."

Resignation forgotten, they concentrated on the new case, ACP Prithviraj's words still echoing in their minds.

* * *

Nakul ran, the gun clicked, and ACP Pradyuman stood over his son's now dead body. Another death, another criminal down. But ACP Pradyuman felt this loss personally.

"Give him company," Abhijeet told his friend after a few days after coming home from work, "meanwhile, I shall be taking a small trip and coming back."

"What?" said Daya, surprised, "I do keep ACP sir company. What do you mean?"

Abhijeet shook his head, "I'm dead Daya. Yet you spend more time with me than him. He is grieving, give him your support. With me here, you are not able to truly do that."

"I do not feel that is true…but if you say so. When will you return?"

"I don't know, a few days, perhaps weeks."

"What?! You do plan on returning, don't you?"

"Perhaps…" replied Abhijeet.

"What do you mean by perhaps!" Daya nearly shouted, then keeping cool, he asked, "Where would you even go? You cannot move on without Their permission. You are stuck on this plane."

"Here and there. Look Daya, I'm dead. You may see me, talk to me, but in the end it comes to this – I am not alive. And this is unhealthy. You spend more time with the dead than alive. It is unnatural."

"I'm unnatural!" Daya shouted. He spread his hands wide to emphasise, "This ability of mine is unnatural! I should not be able to see the dead. See you! But I do, so why shouldn't I spend time with you?"

"You don't spend time with any ghost you see though, only me," Abhijeet pointed out.

"I've already lost you once," Daya gave up shouting, "You died! And now that you're back, you tell me that you're going away again?"

"Exactly, I'm dead. I was never even meant to be here. But I am. So spend time with those who are alive lest you regret it after they die."

"Wait! Don't go," pleaded Daya as Abhijeet moved to leave.

Abhijeet turned once more and smiled, "Bye."

* * *

A year.

Daya had been waiting for a year for him to return. Abhijeet had been right in the end; he had grown too attached to the ghost. Srija had warned him of this – attachment to the dead could make one suicidal. Daya, happy to have his friend back, did not realise when he crossed the line of obsession.

By leaving, Abhijeet had in fact helped him - Daya had managed to get his life back on track. He and ACP sir had grown closer and he began to find other things to do than simply converse with the ghost of his friend.

But even though he had realised that Abhijeet left to save him from going mad, he still missed his friend. Now that his life had balanced out, he could patiently wait for Abhijeet's return.

It takes Abhijeet a year. A year after he left, he returns in the most dramatic way possible.

"E 517 1115. It sounds like a bus number – E 517," says Abhijeet.

Daya jumps in his seat in surprise, turning around to see Abhijeet standing behind his chair as if he never left. ACP Pradyuman and the new officer, Anushka, turn to see what had spooked him.

Daya clears his throat in embarrassment, before saying , "E 517 sounds like a bus number, sir."

ACP's eyes widen, "Yes! That's it! And 1115 must mean 11:15 am or pm. Hmmm, must be am, yes…"

* * *

The case ends well and Daya immediately asks him, "What took you so long?"

Abhijeet smiles sheepishly, "I was being a coward. I came to see you a couple of times, but you looked so happy and content…especially now that you spend more time with the alive than the dead. I thought you might not need my company any more. Also, I did wonder if you were angry at me for the way I left…"

"No, you were right in leaving," Daya admitted. "I was too blind to see the truth." He pauses before asking seriously, "Why did you return?"

Abhijeet smiled, "I am selfish too. Even though there was a possibility that you were angry with me, I wanted to meet you. You might not have been happy to see me, but I missed you too much to stay away for long."

They fell silent after that, simply enjoying being in the other's presence.

* * *

Dr Tarika, assistant to Dr Salunkhe, had just recently joined the CID team. She was intelligent and quick in producing results. After working with Dr Anjalika and Dr Niyati, Abhijeet had not thought he would actually meet a woman forensic expert he could like. Of course, that is not to say he disliked Dr Vrinda, but she had not stayed with them for long for him to get to know her well.

 _'She is pretty,'_ thought Abhijeet and when he saw Daya look at her the same way, he smiled and waited for the story to unfold.

* * *

"No ghost would be able to strangle Daya," Tarika randomly commented, admiring his muscles from afar.

Abhijeet snickered along with Vivek, while ACP sir sported an exasperated expression.

Salunkhe coughed to get everyone's attention, "As I was saying, no ghost can crush a person's neck in this manner. The rumours of the house being haunted are just that – rumours."

Freddy heaved a sigh of relief at that while Abhijeet told Daya, "Do you think I have enough power to do that to you? Technically, I am a ghost. We could finally prove Dr Salunkhe wrong!"

"No," came the quick answer, "I'd beat you up before you could do that."

"Oh?" asked Abhijeet playfully.

"Yes, we both know that," Daya's lips quirked up, "though I can't deny that your mental abilities are slightly sharper than mine."

* * *

Abhijeet stood a bit away from Daya, along with ACP Pradyuman as he watched Daya approach the killer. The killer was well known for hypnotising his victims and making them commit suicide. For a moment all seemed fine, then the killer whispered something to Daya which made him lower his gun.

"What's wrong Daya?" asked ACP Pradyuman.

Daya had turned, his eyes looked only forward, disregarding ACP sir's question as he raised his gun and pointed it at him.

"Daya! What are you doing!" shouted ACP sir.

Abhijeet looked at the killer and realised that Daya had been hypnotised.

"Stop, Daya!" Abhijeet shouted.

But Daya pulled the trigger and ACP ducked behind the wall to save himself. Bullets cannot harm ghosts, so Abhijeet walked straight to him, ignoring the gun that was then pointed at him. Reaching Daya, he slapped him hard across the cheek.

Roused from his semi-concious state, Daya quickly understood what had happened and tried to convey his gratefulness to Abhijeet without words. Abhijeet just patted his back reassuringly.

* * *

Abhijeet moved through the house, trying to look for the missing kid when he heard a small noise. He followed it to a small cupboard. Concentrating , he focused on the door knob and felt it solidify under his touch before pulling it open. Large brown eyes stared back at him.

The girl's stare was too piercing. He moved to touch her and she shied away from it. Abhijeet's eyes widened.

"You can see me?"

She looked confused but absolutely refused to move from her hiding place. Abhijeet did not know why he did not call Daya to handle the situation, but instead slowly coaxed her into leaving the cupboard.

He tried to talk to her, receive an answer, but she would not utter a word. The realising what it could mean, he made a hand gesture. Her eyes lit up at something familiar and she replies to his question.

 _"My name is Shreya."_

Another perk of being dead, he could speak all languages, including sign language.

Abhijeet then called Daya and explained the situation to him. After knowing her status as a Seer, he quickly told her not mention Abhijeet's presence to anyone.

As the case progressed, they left the questioning to Daya, since he seemed to be the only one who could communicate with the girl. Daya modestly nodded when ACP praised him for knowing sign language.

Abhijeet had become smitten with the girl, he would talk to her all day long and then would feed her, brush her hair, tell her stories and generally entertain her while she stayed at Daya's house while the case was in progress.

"You do know that she won't be able stay here forever, don't you?" Daya told him one day.

Abhijeet sighed, "I know. But I will be able to see her periodically. She feels like a daughter to me."

"You are her guide," Daya reminded, "your main job is to educate her about being a Seer, that's all."

"Don't be so heartless, Daya. There's nothing wrong about loving her as my own child."

"My guide spent four years with me, first as my friend and then as a guide. After which, he moved on. That's what his purpose was. After you finish teaching her, you too may move on. I'm just telling you that getting attached will not be good for either of you."

"No," Abhijeet explained, "She is not the reason I stayed back as a ghost. Your guide returned as a ghost after his death for you, but I know that she was not my reason for returning. I will teach her, love her, then send her to live with her remaining family, meet her at times, talk to her – she will, she _has_ become important to me. But I will not move on once I do my best by her. She is not the reason I returned."

"Then who is?" Daya asked.

Abhijeet looked straight at him, "You are."

* * *

"Tarika is smart, funny, caring. She's successful in life, she's a good friend…" said Daya.

Abhijeet sighed, "I know, she is also a part of CID. So she understands your duty unlike that girl – what was her name? – Purvi. Plus, she's beautiful and thinks you are too."

"She thinks I'm beautiful?" asked Daya, surprised.

"No, silly! She thinks you're good looking, handsome. So stop being nervous and ask her out already!"

"Right, right. You sure she likes me that way, Abhijeet?"

Abhijeet pushed him towards the restaurant Tarika and Daya were supposed to meet at, "Just go already!"

"Yes, okay," Daya gulped before adopting a confident look and striding into the eatery.

Abhijeet smiled at his friend's behaviour, knowing that all would go well.

* * *

Daya clenched his hands tight, too tight, until he could feel his nails pierce his skin. Before he could draw blood, a hand gripped his wrist, steadily applying pressure until he loosened his grip.

Daya looked up to see himself at the Bureau, Dr Salunkhe and ACP Pradyuman were still talking. A few tears had already escaped from the doctor's eyes as he wringed his hands to indicate his distress.

"Boss, they are picking us off one by one. First Sonali and now Tarika…"

"Salunkhe, don't worry. We are working on the case. I don't know who is kidnapping the forensic doctors but we will have them punished," ACP Pradyuman assured his friend.

Abhijeet let go of Daya's hand once he calmed down slightly and said, "I will try to do some investigation of my own, however I shall stay by your side the whole time. This could be a very dangerous criminal we are facing."

* * *

H.D. Herpes Dongara.

Abhijeet felt his name to be too much like a disease, as was his personality. He had begun kidnapping CID officers one after another and played mind games on them for his own, sick pleasure. Watching ACP sir and Daya tied to a chair while H.D. prowled in front of them like a predator made him feel totally helpless.

He watched as they were woken up from their drug induced sleep, Daya's eyes landing on him almost immediately, and then hearing the following conversation made him go pale. Another drug would be injected into their body that would make them hallucinate; make them believe that their own colleagues were their enemy.

Daya saw how Abhijeet tried to stop them, trying to pull away the syringe that held the drug; but as usual, all that came in contact with him turned immaterial, allowing him to pass through it. His brows furrowed in concentration, trying to solidify his fingers but he was too late – the drug was administered.

Fear gripped the ghost and he fled. This drug would make Daya forget him, forget that he was a Seer, and in his current mind frame Abhijeet's appearance and presence would be considered as a threat. He ran through the forest, not attempting to teleport as he wanted to lose himself in this forest, the forest where ACP Pradyuman and Daya would be sent into.

It was like H.D.'s own personal survival show, trying to see who would kill the other first – Daya or ACP Pradyuman? He did not how much time had passed as he wallowed in the feeling of his failure, failure as he wasn't able to save Daya. When he first heard footsteps, he tensed, was it Daya…?

"Tasha?" the name fell from his lips automatically as he saw her stumble through the shrubbery.

' _What in the world was she doing here? She was specifically told to stay in the bureau!'_ Abhijeet cursed her heroism before recognising his chance – she could help them break free of the drug's hold. A voice of reason that would pierce through the hazy fog that had surrounded their mind.

He made his way over to her and concentrating carefully, he solidified his fingers before lightly tugging at her sleeve. Tasha's head whipped around, eyes wide. Abhijeet tugged her sleeve again and realising that he was only scaring her further, he tried a different method.

Many people believed in ghosts apart from Seers. That was when a ghost decided to actually communicate with humans, instead of silently watching, by the most well-known method – writing.

Picking up a stick, he carved a word into the mud in front of her. It took a lot of concentration to actually hold a stick and write, but it had to be done. He tugged her sleeve again, diverting her attention to the word he had written: TASHA

Tasha gave a small scream, but before she could flee, he began writing again: WAIT! DON'T RUN. THEY NEED YOUR HELP.

"W-who a-are you?" she stuttered, fear coating her words, "W-what do you want from me?"

Abhijeet sighed, glad that she had not run and continued: I AM ABHIJEET. DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM?

"A-Abhijeet?" Tasha finally stopped shivering, "Daya sir's partner?" then remembering she was talking to someone who was dead; she stuttered once more, "What do you want? How are you even here?"

Abhijeet picked up the stick once more: I WAS ALWAYS HERE, WITH DAYA. I NEVER LEFT. THEY NEED YOUR HELP.

"They need my help?" Tasha repeated, "Do you mean ACP and Daya sir? I came to help them! Tell me what to do, Abhijeet sir!"

The familiar title of 'sir' surprised him, but he quickly explained the situation to her. Then they began to make their way through the forest, with Abhijeet keeping a hand over her sleeve, directing her by giving small periodic tugs at the fabric.

When they found Daya, he stood facing ACP Pradyuman; each had their guns trained at the other. At their arrival, they turned, pointing the weapon at her instead. Daya could see him too, so he alternated between pointing the gun at them.

"Daya?" Abhijeet tried, but his friend only looked at him with confusion, unable to recognise the ghost.

"Who are you?" ACP sir growled out.

"What are both of you doing here?" asked Daya.

Tasha and ACP Pradyuman paused, ' _Both?'_

Then remembering her peculiar conversation with the ghost, Tasha said, "Daya sir, ACP sir, it's Tasha! Your junior! We work in CID together, remember? And this – this is Abhijeet sir, your friend!"

There was a lot of confusion after that – _Abhijeet? CID? Weren't they enemies?_

When the drug wore off, thankfully without either gun going off, Abhijeet breathed a sigh of relief.

"Daya, Tasha," began ACP sternly, "you better tell me all you know about Abhijeet being here. I've been hearing it too many times throughout the years for it to be brushed under carpet. You will tell it to me as we find our way back to the house."

Daya sighed in resignation; Srija had told him that the first rule was to never tell anyone that he could see ghosts. While the existence of ghosts had been debated about for centuries, it had never been confirmed. Seers proclaiming that they could see the dead…well, that was sure to go over well.

But the circumstances had forced Abhijeet to take drastic measures and Daya knew that if he would have to trust someone with this information, it would be ACP Pradyuman – the man he looked up to as a senior, a mentor, a father figure.

* * *

"Daya, no!" Despite ACP sir's protest, he was too weak to physically stop Daya from picking him up and depositing him outside the house.

Daya immediately ran in and closed the door, before turning to his colleagues who were bound to chairs. He picked up the knife from where it had been dropped and went to cut their ropes. He had only one minute left till the bombs exploded.

"Daya!" Abhijeet's voice stopped him, "forget the ropes, cut the wires connected to the bomb."

He faltered for a moment before agreeing, "Which wire?"

"The black one," replied Abhijeet as he picked up another knife and started cutting the ropes from behind them so that they did not see a knife floating in mid-air.

Together, they freed the CID officers before a minute was over and in their delirious state, they never realised that Daya had only diffused their bombs but not cut their ropes. They ran out of the house through the back door, but before they fully leave it, a blast occurred. Bombs that had been planted all around the house had gone off together, sending the house up in flames.

As the humans lost consciousness, Abhijeet heard ACP cry out in pain when he assumed that this team had perished in the blast. Abhijeet wanted to go and reassure him, tell him not to worry as everyone had survived, but he did not. He decided to be cruel and give the ACP a reason to exact revenge from H.D.

* * *

Paris. La ville lumière. The City of Lights. Also called at times as 'The City of Love'.

ACP Pradyuman had followed Herpes Dongara all the way to Paris for the sole reason of making him pay for destroying the CID team. As they entered the Indian clothes shop, looking for Dongara's minions, the situation quickly turned hostile.

A bullet was fired at them, which they (ACP Pradyuman, the language translator and the inspector from the Paris Police Department) quickly dodged. Before either of them could lift their guns, another gunshot sounded, this time from behind ACP. He turned to see Daya standing there, bundled up in coats and scarves, a gun in his hand.

"You forgot something, fools," sneered Daya, "ACP Pradyuman goes nowhere without his loyal soldiers. To get to him, you must first go through us!"

The criminals escaped but ACP Pradyuman was so overjoyed to see Daya alive and well that he dismissed all other information as temporarily useless.

"Daya…" ACP sir breathed out a sigh of relief, as he ran his hands down Daya's shoulders and arms, checking to see if he had healed well, "You are alive! Safe!"

Daya smiled warmly at his senior, "Of course, sir. Everyone is fine. They are still admitted in the hospital, but fine."

ACP gave a shaky laugh, "How did you survive? I-I thought – the blast…"

"We escaped through the back entrance, sir," Daya explained, "but the blast did catch us. We were knocked unconscious and Abhijeet had to call for help by sending a handwritten letter, which is why it took some time for us to be found."

"Oh, yes, Abhijeet. Where is he?"

ACP looked around as if hoping that he might catch a glimpse of him.

Daya laughed, "He is here, sir. With us. As he will always be."

* * *

There was only one bullet left in Daya's gun and both officers were highly conscious of this fact as they chased Dongara through the hills, fresh snow crunching beneath their feet.

"Daya, shoot him," ordered the ACP when they got a clear target.

But Daya hesitated. The distance was more than two hundred meters. And he knew that the chances of him hitting the target accurately was not hundred per cent. In fact, it was quite low, but now was the only chance they had.

"Let me," Abhijeet said as he placed his hand over Daya's, "hold the gun, I'll shoot."

Daya glanced at him incredulously. He knew Abhijeet was an amazing sharp shooter, but shooting when someone else held the gun? That did not allow you to shoot accurately, not at all.

"No," replied Daya.

ACP looked confused before realising that that Daya was not speaking to him but to Abhijeet.

"You can't do it this way," reasoned Daya.

He then recollected Srija's words: that he would know the right moment when he wanted to be possessed and that it would be with a ghost he trusted. Who better than Abhijeet? His friend, his comrade, his brother in all but blood?

"Possess me," Daya gave the solution.

It was Abhijeet's turn to be surprised, he did not know how to possess someone – one of the things that ghosts did not receive knowledge about after their death. But time was running out, so he let instinct take over his actions.

He placed himself next to Daya, his hand over the gun, shoulders touching and imagined them merging, joining together – not only in body, but also spirit – and suddenly, he felt solid again. He had his fingers around the gun and it took a mere second for him to aim and shoot.

Abhijeet did not miss. Dongara fell to the bullet and succumbed to death.

"Good job, Daya," ACP praised, not knowing that it was not Daya, but currently Abhijeet who resided in that body.

"Thank you sir," Abhijeet replied, and it felt weird. It was Daya's voice but his words.

"I hoped that I hadn't forgotten how to shoot, but it turns out that my aim is still as good," mused Abhijeet.

ACP frowned before taking a deep breath, "Abhijeet? What – how – Abhijeet?!"

"Yes, sir," replied Abhijeet with a smile, "It is I."

And how good it felt to actually talk to him! He did not feel like giving up control of this body – Abhijeet stopped that thought – oh God! This body, Daya's body!

Daya trusted him enough to give up control to Abhijeet and now he knew why it was said that Seers should allow only trusted ghosts to possess them. The temptation of life, of having an actual body to live in, was a lot. And he knew that he couldn't abuse that trust; so no matter how _good_ it felt to be temporarily alive, he would give it up to go back to being a ghost.

Abhijeet gave ACP sir a small, sad smile and surprised him with a hug, "Goodbye sir. Thank you for everything."

And just like that he stepped out, reverting back the of control the body to Daya. Daya, who had felt and sensed everything Abhijeet had while he possessed him, squeezed his shoulder in sympathy. He was very glad to have a friend like Abhijeet, whom he could literally trust his life with.

* * *

He watched it happen in slow motion, the struggle with the gun, the decisive moment when the bullet was shot and the unfortunate angle that led the bullet to lodge itself in Tasha's chest.

Abhijeet shouted a loud, "No!" but it was of no use.

The killer attempted to escape but Abhijeet would not let it happen. Picking up the discarded gun, he aimed at her leg. She fell down, unable to move and confused as to who shot her.

Vivek, who had been half-way to the jeep, turned at the sound of the gun shots and rushed back to see Tasha clutching at her chest while the killer lay a few feet away with a bullet wound on her leg.

Abhijeet did not wait to see Vivek drive her to the hospital. Instead he teleported to Daya's side and told him all that happened. Within minutes the whole CID department was heading towards the hospital

* * *

Out of all the CID officers, ACP sir and Tasha were the only ones who knew of Abhijeet's existence. So when ACP Pradyuman felt a semi-solid, invisible hand, settle upon his as he petted Tasha's hair, they both knew who it was.

"I-I don't want to leave all of you," Tasha cried, "I want to live! I –"

ACP Pradyuman resumed petting her hair as Kajal let out a huge sob and clutched at her hand. The two of them had been very close and Kajal would lose not only a colleague and a friend but also a confidante.

Daya stood behind ACP sir, his hand on Vivek's shoulder in an attempt to comfort him. Freddy was letting out silent tears and Sachin had turned away from it all, unable to see her die.

Tasha's loss would be felt greatly. She was a wonderful CID officer, caring friend and a compassionate human being.

* * *

"That bast***! Son of a bi***!" Abhijeet cursed out loud as he paced the length of Daya's living room.

The case had just gotten over and no one ever realised who had caught Shreya as she was thrown off the wall of the fort. The mute girl had fallen right into Abhijeet's arms and he had cushioned her fall.

Shreya, now the heir to a huge property, was only a source of wealth to her uncle and Abhijeet regretted sending her away from him.

"We didn't know he would turn out to be such a fiend, Boss," Daya said tiredly.

"That's it!" Abhijeet ignored Daya's words as he continued to rant, "I'm not going to leave her in anyone else's hands. She's _my_ daughter and I will care for well-being!"

"And how are you going to do that?" asked Daya exasperatedly.

"Adoption," was the reply. Seeing his friend's unconvinced face, Abhijeet continued, "You will adopt her and she can stay in a hostel meanwhile. That way she will be safe from harm and we will be able to meet her too."

"Adopt? Me?" Daya said in a surprised tone.

"Yes, you will do it, won't you? You do like her after all."

"Oh, yes. I like her," Daya assured him, "She is like a daughter to you, which means that she's my niece. But I don't know the first thing about caring for a child!"

"That's why she will live in a hostel," explained Abhijeet, "it will give you time to get to know her and learn sign language properly. You both can learn how to live with each other slowly."

Daya thought it over and then nodded his head in agreement. Abhijeet smiled widely and gave Daya a hug before he walked up the stairs.

Still in surprise from the sudden hug, Daya asked him, "Where are you going?"

"To the guest room," Abhijeet called down, "to tell Shreya the good news. I doubt she must have fallen asleep yet. And I did promise to tell her with whom she would be living…"

* * *

Daya fiddled with a box in his pocket, nervous about what he was going to do.

"Boss, I'm going to ask Tarika to marry me," Daya declared at breakfast.

Abhijeet froze, the paper he was reading fell from his hands.

"What?"

"You heard me," replied Daya.

Abhijeet blinked, "Then what about Shreya?"

Daya was confused, "What about her?"

"She is legally your daughter, Daya! What does Tarika think about her? Will she accept and love her as her own child?" Abhijeet asked him.

"I – She is fond of her," Daya said, "but we haven't really talked about it though."

Abhijeet nodded, "Hmm…And what would you do if she is not comfortable with it? If she tells you that having Shreya as a daughter is something she can't accept after marriage."

Daya fell silent. It had been three years since he had adopted Shreya and he had begun loving her as his own child. She was such a sweet girl that parting from her, even for Tarika, was something he could never do.

"She is my daughter too," Daya said at last, "And I will make it clear to Tarika that she will always come first for me. If Tarika cannot handle that…she will be exactly like my other girlfriends, nothing more. Not...special. Not the person I would want to spend the rest of my life with."

Abhijeet smiled at that and his grin widened when Daya said, "But I also know that Tarika will accept her wholeheartedly."

"Well, then," said Abhijeet, "What are you waiting for? Show me the ring!"

* * *

It was the day of the wedding and Tarika looked absolutely beautiful in her red and yellow sari. The make-up was light and her curly hair had been pulled up in an elegant knot. Beside her, Shreya matched bangles and handed them in pairs to her would-be-mother, although adoptive.

Shreya had dressed in a blue salwaar-kameez and taking Abhijeet's advice, had forgone make up despite Inspectors Shreya and Purvi's insistence. Abhijeet had insisted that she looked beautiful without make up and that had been it. The powder made her look fair and her hair had been braided in a fish-tail style.

The two females looked absolutely stunning on this memorable day.

 _"Are you happy Shreya?"_ Tarika asked her soon-to-be daughter.

 _"Very much,"_ Shreya assured her.

Abhijeet had just entered the room to see the conversation take place and felt a contended smile settle upon his face. He went back to see Daya, who had been dressed up as the groom.

"Very handsome," praised Abhijeet.

Daya smiled, "I should be, this is my wedding day after all."

Abhijeet laughed. Then suddenly serious, Abhijeet asked him, "Daya, are you happy?"

Feeling the enormity of the question, Daya took a while to answer and when he did, it was honest, "Yes, I am."

Abhijeet's face relaxed and as the door burst open to reveal Shreya who had come looking for the both of them, Abhijeet engulfed her in a tight hug. She was surprised but returned it enthusiastically.

"Farewell, then, Daya," Abhijeet told his friend, "I will see you on the other side." To Shreya, he signed _, "Goodbye Shreya, it is time for me to go."_

They realised what was happening – Abhijeet's time had come. He was moving on. They smiled at him, conveying all their feelings for him in that simple gesture.

"See you, my friend – no, brother," Daya bid him goodbye.

 _"Bye papa, I will miss you. I love you."_ Shreya signed for the man she had considered her father.

Abhijeet could feel himself fading as he signed one last sentence for both of them to read, _"I love you too."_

Shreya leaned into Daya's embrace as Abhijeet finally disappeared, taking comfort from the man whom she'd come to regard as a parent.

* * *

Daya stood at the drinks table by himself at ACP Pradyuman's retirement party. He suddenly felt Abhijeet's absence to be very prominent; surrounded by all the officers that had known the former ACP, he felt quite lonely. His wife and daughter had gone home early while he'd stayed back; it was after all his boss' retirement party.

Abhijeet had become a memory to most of them. Even though he had been present through the years with them in CID, it had been as a ghost and while they remembered his days when he served as an officer, it was only Daya who'd actually had contact with him for nearly two decades after his death.

"Missing Abhijeet?" ACP asked Daya suddenly, surprising him with his appearance and question.

Daya did not really expect people to remember the deceased officer. Then again, former-ACP Pradyuman was no ordinary person.

"Yes," Daya sighed, "I knew him the longest after all. I loved him – no – I still do."

"After all this time?"

"Always."

* * *

 **AN: Soooo... How was it? Liked it?**

 **I know, I know, My other stories are pending. Don't worry, they are in progress and I will be updating them soon.**

 **Meanwhile, inspiration had struck me, and I absolutely had to write this story!**

 **P.S - Anyone got the Harry Potter reference? ;)**

 **PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW!**

 **~Cheers!**


	3. Chapter 3 - Interlude: Abhijeet

**AN: No idea why I decide to include an interlude, but here I go...I seem to do may things on spontaneity now-a-days.**

 **This happens after Nakul's death - circumstances written about in previous chapter - and before the case E 517 1115. This is Abhijeet point of view about those months - year - he had disappeared. Nothing to consequential, but I felt like writing, so here you are...**

 **Hope you like it.**

 **Please read and review.**

 **Enjoy~**

 **.**

"Dialogues"

 _'Thoughts'_

* * *

Interlude: Abhijeet

* * *

Almost as soon as he had left Daya, he regretted it. Regretted leaving him, because being with Daya made him feel alive, as if he had a purpose, a reason to continue forwards.

Except…he didn't. He was a ghost now, a mere spectre, and no matter how much he wished to be alive, he wasn't and couldn't be. That was another reason he left. He'd grown just as attached to Daya as Daya had grown attached to him. And wasn't that such a tragedy?

Abhijeet knew that there was only one option left now – to make sure that Daya got his life back on track and for him to realise and accept that even though he was Daya's friend, he was just a _ghost_ and couldn't always be with him. He had to leave.

 _"…_ _When will you return?"_

 _"_ _I don't know, a few days, perhaps weeks."_

 _"_ _What?! You do plan on returning, don't you?"_

 _"_ _Perhaps…"_

Abhijeet tried to push away those memories, trying to stall himself from deciding – was he going to go back?

He wanted to. From the moment he'd left Daya with the decision to disappear, he wanted to return. But he couldn't. Not when that would only harm Daya further…he couldn't.

 _'_ _I must leave for now,'_ Abhijeet thought, _'whether I return or not can be decided later, but for now, I must leave.'_

* * *

For two months, Abhijeet had wandered around aimlessly in Kerala and then Tamil Nadu, walking down beaches and visiting backwaters and mangroves. It was a boring existence to be honest. He'd not talked to anyone since two whole months and was terribly missing Daya's company.

At times he'd pass by newspaper stands, trying to keep himself abreast on what was going on in the world – but privately, he just wanted to see if he could glean any news about Daya. There had been a couple of articles regarding him. And it seemed that the CID had gotten another member, a Sub-Inspector Anushka, if the newspaper was to be believed.

There was photo too, of ACP Pradyuman and Daya, standing side by side.

 _'_ _He looks happy,'_ Abhijeet realised, ' _both of them do.'_

And it was true; both the CID officers were smiling in the picture. And apart from that, it was clear in their healthy countenance and relaxed posture that they were content.

 _'_ _It seems Daya has been patching himself up, as well as ACP sir. Both of them seem close… my departure has served him well.'_

And in the end, that was what mattered. Even if Abhijeet was lonely and melancholy, it mattered little in the face of Daya's happiness. If his absence was helping Daya, then he would never return…

* * *

He lasted three more months before coming back to Mumbai. Abhijeet did not meet up with Daya, but he did watch him from afar. What he saw only proved his belief about Daya's contentment, and he wondered if it was time to return, time to move back into Daya's life just as effortlessly as he had left it.

 _'_ _He seems happy – even without me. Independent, self-reliant, unfettered of my company. Is my presence even necessary? Will my re-appearance cause him grief? I did break off ties and disappear_ _suddenly…'_

It was unlike Abhijeet to be so hesitant, but this was Daya. Daya, his only connection to the living world and his best friend.

In the end, confused and uncertain, he'd left once more.

* * *

Abhijeet did not know why he was back. Had he not already established that Daya was happy without him?

But, he was selfish enough to want Daya's company, even though he might not be welcomed. Daya would be angry perhaps, may be even furious, but that was not going to deter Abhijeet this time. He would persist and relentlessly keep persisting till Daya accepted him back as his friend.

Even so, it took him another whole month of dithering till he set a foot inside CID bureau.

He expected Daya to notice him immediately or at least after a minute or so, but it seemed not. The whole team was busy trying to figure out some code – E5171115.

Written on the white board in large black letters, were the characters: **E5171115**

Abhijeet had no idea what it meant, but he moved closer nonetheless, trying to figure it out. Standing behind Daya, as he would do before, he watched ACP, Freddy and the new girl – Anushka – try to work it out.

"What could it be?" ACP sir was mumbling, "A bank account? Impossible, we've already checked. A hidden meaning behind the simple numbers? The cryptographers are working on it too…"

Anushka seemed to have given up on emulating a statue and started to pace; a paper fanning her face as she walked. It was a coincidently lucky moment that Abhijeet happened to glance at her when she passed by the white board, inadvertently separating the puzzle into two decipherable halves.

 _'Not E5171115,_ ' Abhijeet realized, _'but E 517 1115! They can be understood if read separately!'_

Out of habit, Abhijeet spoke up, trusting Daya to convey his deductions, to the team, "E 517 1115. It sounds like a bus number – E 517."

Daya startles and Abhijeet is reminded that his presence here is unexpected, that he had been gone since the past _year_ , and Daya was not anticipating his words.

ACP Pradyuman and Anushka, turn to see what had spooked him.

Daya clears his throat in embarrassment, before saying , "E 517 sounds like a bus number, sir."

ACP's eyes widen, "Yes! That's it! And 1115 must mean 11:15 am or pm. Hmmm, must be am, yes…"

Abhijeet stills under the look Daya gives him, his expression clearly stating that they would be talking about this. Abhijeet can only hope for the best.

* * *

 _"_ _What took you so long?"_

 _"_ _I was being a coward. I came to see you a couple of times, but you looked so happy and content…especially now that you spend more time with the alive than the dead. Also, I did wonder if you were angry at me for the way I left…"_

 _"_ _Why did you return?"_

 _"_ _I am selfish too. Even though there was a possibility that you were angry I wanted to meet you. You might not have been happy to see me, but I missed you too much to stay away for long."_

In retrospect, Abhijeet should have known that Daya would forgive him for his harsh actions. Because, above all the rough and tough exterior, Daya was a warm, kind and caring man. A man that Abhijeet was proud to call his friend.

In that moment, he knew. Abhijeet knew that he would always love Daya – as a friend, a brother, a partner. Always.

* * *

 **AN: So, how was it? Did you like it? I'm not sure how this came out, considering I typed it all out in a little more than an hour on a whim. Please let me know...**

 **REVIEW! ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...Pretty please?**


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